Data processing system

ABSTRACT

For an internal circuit having a first operation mode consuming a first operational current and a second operation mode consuming a second operational current, which is smaller than the first operational current, a first power source regulator for stepping down a predefined output power supply voltage from an input power supply voltage and having a current supply ability corresponding to the first operational current of the internal circuit and a second power source gulator having a current supply ability corresponding to the second operational current are combined in order to, under the control of a power supply control unit, operate the first step-down type regulator in response to a first control signal instructing the first operation mode in the internal circuit and to operate the second step-down type regulator in response to a second control signal instructing the second operation mode. In this case, the internal circuit and power supply control unit are provided in one semiconductor integrated circuit device so that reduced power consumption and power supply switching in accordance with the operation mode can be achieved.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/756,868filed Jan. 10, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a semiconductorintegrated circuit and a data processing system and mainly to atechnology effective to be applied to a power supply technology for abattery-driven mobile electronic device.

Standard power supply voltage (such as 3.3 V) has been continuously usedfor interface between semiconductor chips. On the other hand, pressureresistance of a transistor is decreasing with improvement ofmicronization. Thus, internal power supply voltage of a large scaleintegrated circuit (LSI) directs to be lower voltage for everygeneration. However, the internal power supply voltage is generallydifferent by each chip in such the LSI. Therefore, when the internalpower supply is supplied from a power supply on an implemented board, anumber of power supplies equal to a given number of chips must beprepared, which increases in cost of a system and size of an implementedarea.

As a technology for overcoming those problems, a method is knownincluding the steps of providing a step-down type switching regulatorexcluding a smoothing circuit including an inductance and a capacitor ona chip, supplying only a standard power supply voltage Vcc for interfaceon the semiconductor chip and stepping down the voltage on each chip togenerate an internal power supply voltage Vddi. The technology isdisclosed in Proceedings of Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, May1997, pp. 587-590 and International Solid-State Circuits Conference,Digest of Technical Papers, Feb. 1999, pp. 156-157.

According to the conventional technology, the internal circuit on thechip is in a stand-by state (for example, a state where a built-in CPUclock is stopped). Thus, when its load current is significantly small, apower conversion efficiency is reduced extremely. As a result, theswitching regulator consumes electric power significantly though only asmall amount of power needs to be supplied to the internal circuit. Thisis because AC power consumed by a switching operation for an outputMOSFET, which forms an output pulse within the switching regulator isunnegligiblly larger than an output power. Especially in a mobileelectronic device, a power loss during such stand-by may reduce abattery lifetime, which is an important performance indicator of themobile device.

An inventor hereof has realized in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.260727/93 and International Patent Publication No. WO 95/09475, throughresearches of publicly known technologies after the present inventionwas made, that a power supply had disclosed which combined a switchingregulator and a series regulator used them differently through outputcurrent in order to reduce power losses. However, the power supplydevice monitors the output current in order to switch between them,which appears rational. Yet, in an electronic device such as amicrocomputer, currents consumed differ largely between the stand-bystate where the central processing unit (CPU) and others perform anyoperations and an operating state where data processing is performed.Especially, a transition time from the stand-by state to the operatingstate consumes large current rapidly. Therefore, even when the consumedcurrent is monitored for switching the power supply circuit as describedabove, voltage and/current required for CPU operations cannot beobtained, which may cause an error operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventor hereof has focused on that a program-controlledelectronic device such as the microcomputer sets an operation mode byitself and considered to attempt higher efficiency in the power supplydevice by using a control signal generated in the internal portion.Further, for the electronic device, the number of parts tends to bereduced by adopting a circuit element within the semiconductorintegrated circuit device. However, The present inventor has noticesthat it was not always effective to have the circuit element built-in.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronicdevice, a semiconductor integrated circuit and a data processing system,which allow lower power consumption. It is another object of the presentinvention to provide an electronic device and a data processing circuit,which allows size reduction. Further, it is another object of thepresent invention to provide an electronic device and a data processingsystem, which allow size reduction and lower power consumption. Theseand other objects and novel features of the present invention will be:apparent from description herein and accompanying drawings.

The present invention disclosed herein may be summarized briefly asfollows:

For an internal circuit having a first operation mode consuming a firstoperational current and a second operation mode consuming a secondoperational current, which is smaller than the first operationalcurrent, a first step-down type regulator for stepping down a predefinedoutput power supply voltage from an input power supply voltage andhaving a current supply ability corresponding to the first operationalcurrent of the internal circuit and a second step-down type regulatorhaving a current supply ability corresponding to the second operationalcurrent are combined in order to, under the control of a power supplycontrol unit, operate the first step-down type regulator in response toa first control signal instructing the first operation mode in theinternal circuit and to operate the second step-down type regulator inresponse to a second control signal instructing the second operationmode. In this case, the internal circuit and power supply control unitare provided in one semiconductor integrated circuit device so thatreduced power consumption and power supply switching in accordance withthe operation mode can be achieved.

In an electronic device including a switching regulator for steppingdown a predefined output power supply voltage from an input power supplyvoltage and a semiconductor integrated circuit device including aninternal circuit operated by feeding from the switching regulator, theswitching regulator may include a driver control circuit formed in thesemiconductor integrated circuit device, an output circuit provided inthe outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device forgenerating an output pulse signal through a drive signal generated bythe driver control circuit and an inductance and a capacitor forsmoothing the output pulse signal. Thus, a number of pins of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device can be decreased regardless of amaximum power supply current, which allows reduction of size and cost inaddition to an increase in universality of the regulator circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an essential part of one embodiment of anelectronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram of an output/current to powerconversion efficiency in a step-down circuit for describing the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram of an output/current to powerconversion efficiency in step-down circuit for describing the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an essential part of another embodiment ofan electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an essential part of another embodiment ofan electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an essential part of another embodiment ofan electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an essential part of another embodiment ofan electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an essential part of another embodiment ofan electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for describing the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for describing the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an essential part of still anotherembodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an essential part of still anotherembodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an essential part of still anotherembodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an essential part of still anotherembodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an essential part of still anotherembodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention;and

FIG. 16 is a whole block diagram showing one embodiment of a mobilecommunication device to which the present invention may be applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an essential potion of one embodiment ofan electronic device according to the present invention. The electronicdevice of the embodiment includes a smoothing circuit for a switchingregulator having a diode D including a semiconductor integrated circuitdevice 100 and its external parts, an inductance (coil) L1 and acondenser C1. A battery for generating a power supply voltage Vcc isomitted here.

A term “MOS” herein may be understood that it stands for a metal oxidesemiconductor configuration. However, recently, MOS may generallyinclude an electric conductor of non-metal, such as polysilicon, insteadof metal in an essential portion of the semiconductor device.Alternatively, it may include another insulator instead of oxide. CMOSalso tends to be understood as having a broad meaning with the change inmeaning of MOS as described above. Further, MOSFET is not narrowlyunderstood but often understood as including a broad configuration as avirtual insulating gate field effect transistor. Terms CMOS and MOSFETof the present invention follow such general understanding.

Further, the present invention may be applied to not only an LSIincluding an MOS transistor but also an LSI including a bipolartransistor or a Bi-CMOS LSI including both bipolar type and MOS typetransistors in accordance with LSI application environment. Furthermore,a technical application of the present invention is possible for an LSIusing an LSI substrate made of not only silicon but also GaAs, forexample.

Supplied from the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device100 is power supply voltage Vcc to be used for interface between chips.The power supply voltage Vcc is fed to an input/output circuit 105 and,on the other hand, is fed to an internal circuit (such as CPU; including1 chip microcomputer) 101 by being stepped down to an internal powersupply voltage Vddi by an on-chip regulator circuit 110. The regulatorcircuit 110 includes a switching regulator 120 and a series regulator130.

The switching regulator 120 includes a driver control circuit 121, aCMOS output circuit having a P-channel MOSFET 123 and an N-channelMOSFET 124, which are driven by the driver control circuit 121, and asmoothing circuit including a diode D having external parts of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100, an inductance L1 and acapacitor C1.

The series regulator 130 includes a voltage comparator circuit 131, aP-type channel MOSFET 133 controlled by output voltage of the voltagecomparator circuit 131 for operating as a variable resistance, aresistance 136 and an N-channel switch MOSFET 137 for flowing biascurrent of the P.-channel MOSFET 133, and a P-channel switch MOSFET 135.When a signal S114 generated in a power supply control unit 113 is at alow level, the N-channel switch MOSFET 137 is turned to the OFF stateand the P-channel MOSFET 135 is turned to the ON state. Further, the Pchannel MOSFET 133 is turned to the OFF state. As a result, its outputhas a high impedance state. In this case, the voltage comparator circuit131 is shut down from the bias current by the low level of the signalS114.

The output power supply voltage Vddi from each of regulators 120 and 130is controlled by a level substantially equal to a reference voltage Vrefgenerated by a reference voltage generator circuit 111 in response to acontrol signal S 101 from the internal circuit 101. The power supplycontrol unit 113 detects an operation mode of the semiconductorintegrated circuit 100 in response to a control signal S102 suppliedfrom the internal circuit 101 or a control signal S107 supplied throughthe input/output circuit 105 from the outside of the semiconductorintegrated circuit device 100 and switches between operation/stop of theswitching regulator 120 and the series regulator 130 based on thedetected result.

An output from each of regulators 120 and 130 in the stop state iscontrolled to be high impedance. When the internal circuit 101 is in thegeneral operation state (called ‘active state’ hereinafter), the powersupply control unit 113 controls to operate the switching regulator 120through the control signal S113. On the other hand, when the internalcircuit 101 is in the stand-by state (for example, a state where a clockof the internal circuit 113 is stopped), the power supply control unit113 controls to terminates the switching regulator 120 through thecontrol signal S113 and, at the same time, to operate the seriesregulator 130 through the control signal S114.

In general, the maximum power conversion efficiency of the seriesregulator 130 gets worse than that of the switching regulator 120 as ina characteristic diagram of output current-power conversion efficiencyaround a line A-A′ in FIG. 2. On the other hand, the series regulator130 in a state having a lighter load as in the stand-by state does notcause much extreme deterioration of the power conversion efficiency asin a state around B-B′ in FIG. 2. Therefore, in the stand-by state, theseries regulator 130 having better power conversion efficiency is usedinstead of the switching regulator 120 with larger deterioration in theconversion efficiency so that power consumption in the stand-by statecan be saved effectively.

In this embodiment, switching control between the switching regulator120 and the series regulator 130 in accordance with an operation mode ofthe semiconductor integrated circuit device 100 is performed by thepower supply control unit by using an operation mode signal. That is,when the internal circuit 101 such as CPU is switched from the stand-bystate to the active state, the switching regulator 120 is used which hasa sufficient load current supplying ability prior to the operation sothat large load current caused when it is switched from the stand-bystate to the active state can be handled, which allows rapid switchingof the CPU, for example, from the stand-by state to the active state andensures operations such as data processing in the switched active state.

TABLE 1 State of CPU Active Stand-By Shut-Down Switching Operates StopsStops Regulator Series Stops Operates Stops Regulator

The switching control of the switching regulator 120 and the seriesregulator 130 under the control of the power supply control unit in thisembodiment can be summarized in Table 1. The operation mode oftenincludes a shut-down mode (a state where the internal power supplyvoltage Vddi is shut down; data in a register, for example, will belost) in addition to the active and stand-by states. Thus, the shut-downstate is included in Table 1. In the shut-down state, both of regulatorsdo not needs to be operated. Thus, both of them are stopped so that thepower consumption can be reduced. However, the power supply control unit113 and the input/output circuit 105 are operated through the powersupply voltage Vcc, so that they can recover from the shut-down state tothe active or stand-by (sleep) state. The reference voltage generatorcircuit 111 may be kept in operation state by the power supply voltageVcc when its current consumption is a small amount. Alternatively, theoperation current for analog circuits such as the voltage comparatorcircuit may be shut down under the control of the power supply controlunit 113 if necessary.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof the electronic device according to the present invention. In thisembodiment, a power supply circuit includes one switching regulator.However, two types of output circuits are provided for a smoothingcircuit for the switching regulator including a diode D1 having asemiconductor integrated circuit device 100 and its external components,an inductance L1 and a condenser C1. MOSFETs 123 and 124 are outputcircuits for the active state while MOSFETs 123′ and 124′ are outputcircuits for the stand-by state, which performs equivalent operations tothe series regulator.

In the characteristic diagram in FIG. 2, the power conversion efficiencyof the switching regulator is improved with a heavy load of an outputcurrent Iout because an amount of power losses in the smoothing circuitusing the inductance L1 and the condenser C1 is extremely smaller thanthat of an output power Pout. On the other hand, it is because powerconsumed for driving the output MOSFETs 123 and 124 for supplying pulsesignals to the smoothing circuit is relatively larger when the outputcurrent Iout has light loads. Therefore, as shown in a characteristicdiagram a in FIG. 3, when the size of the MOSFETs for forming the outputpulses are reduced, the efficiency can be increased with light loads. Inconsideration of this, two types of output circuits are provided asindicated above and switched under the control of the power supplycontrol unit 113.

An output from the output circuits in the stop state is controlled so asto be high impedance. When the internal circuit 101 is in generaloperation state (active state, hereinafter), the power control unit 113controls to operate the output MOSFETs 123 and 124 through a first stateof a control signal S113 (where the output MOSFETs 123′ and 124′ are inOFF state). On the other hand, when the internal circuit 101 is in thestand-by state (for example, a clock for the internal circuit 113 isterminated), the power supply control unit 113 turns the output MOSFETs123 and 124 to the OFF state through a second state of the controlsignal S113 in order to control to operate the output MOSFET 123′ and124′ simultaneously. As a result, power consumption can be savedeffectively as above by using them differently in accordance with theload state of the characteristics a and b in FIG. 3. The control by thepower supply control unit 113 can be performed in the same manner asTable 1.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an essential portion block diagram ofanother embodiment of the electronic device according to the presentinvention. Also in this embodiment, a power supply voltage Vcc to beused for the interface between chips is supplied from the outside of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100 in the same manner as above.The power supply voltage Vcc is fed to the input/output circuit 105while stepped down to the internal power supply voltage Vddi by theon-chip regulator circuit 110 in order to be fed to the internal circuit(such as CPU) 101. In this embodiment, the regulator circuit 110 feedsan internal power supply voltage Vddr equivalent to the internal powersupply voltage Vddi to a random access memory (RAM) array 102.

The regulator circuit 110 includes a switching regulator 120 and aseries regulator 130. Outputs from the switching regulator 120 areconnected directly to a power supply line of the internal circuit 101.Outputs from the series regulator 130 are connected directly to a powersupply line of the RAM array 102. Provided between the outputs from theswitching regulator 120 and outputs from the series regulator 130 is aswitch 140. Output power supply voltage from each of regulators 120 and130 is controlled to a substantially equal level to a reference voltageVref generated by the reference voltage generator circuit 111 inresponse to a control signal S101 from the internal circuit 101.

The power supply control unit 113 detects an operation mode of thesemiconductor integrated circuit 100 in response to a control signalS102 supplied from the internal circuit 101 or a control signal S107supplied through the input/output circuit 105 from the outside of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100 and switches betweenoperation/stop of the switching regulator 120 and the series regulator130 and ON/OFF of the switch 140 based on the detected result. An outputfrom each of regulators 120 and 130 in the stop state is controlled tobe high impedance.

When the internal circuit 101 is in the active state, the power supplycontrol unit 113 controls to operate the switching regulator 120 throughthe control signal S113. At the same time, the power supply control unit113 turns the switch 140 ON through a control signal S115 and the outputpower supply voltage Vddi of the switching regulator 120 is fed to theRAM array 102 through the switch 140.

When the internal circuit 101 is in the stand-by state, the power supplycontrol unit 113 controls to terminates the switching regulator 120through the control signal S113 and, at the same time, to operate theseries regulator 130 through the control signal S114 in order to turnthe switch 140 ON through the control signal S115. The internal circuit101 and the RAM array 102 are fed from the series regulator 130.Therefore, in the same manner as the embodiment in FIG. 1, the seriesregulator 130 is used instead of the switching regulator 120 in thestand-by state so that power consumption in the stand-by state can besaved effectively.

Further, this embodiment includes an operation mode for shutting downthe power supply for the internal circuit 101 in order to hold data ofthe RAM array 102 only (RAM data holding state). In the RAM data holdingstate, the power supply control unit 113 terminates the switchingregulator 120 through the control signal S113 and, at the same time,turns the switch 140 OFF through the control signal S115 in order toshut down the power supply for the internal circuit 101. On the otherhand, the power supply control portion 113 controls to operate theseries regulator 130 through the control signal S114.

Therefore, the series regulator 130 supplies electric power required bythe RAM array 102 for holding data. In the RAM data holding state, thepower supply for the internal circuit 101 is shut down. Thus, leakcurrent of the internal circuit 101 can be zero completely, which allowssaving more power consumption than the stand-by state. However, in theRAM data holding state, information written into a register, forexample, within the internal circuit 101 is lost. Thus, information inthe register may be transferred to the RAM before CPU shut-down/RAM dataholding, if necessary. In the shut-down state, both switching regulator120 and series regulator 130 are terminated. Switching controls for theswitching regulator 120, series regulator 130 and the switch 140 inaccordance with the operation modes in this embodiment will besummarized in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2 CPU Shut- Down/RAM CPU/RAM Data state Active Stand-By HoldingShut-Down switching operate stop stop Stop regulator series stop operateoperate Stop regulator Switch ON ON OFF ON

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. Also in thisembodiment, in the same manner as above, the power supply voltage Vcc isfed to the input/output circuit 105 while stepped down to the powersupply voltage Vddi by the on-chip regulator circuit 110 in order to befed to the internal circuit 101 such as CPU. The regulator circuit 110feeds an internal power supply voltage Vddr equivalent to the internalpower supply voltage Vddi to the RAM array 102.

The regulator circuit 110 includes a switching regulator 120, a firstseries regulator 130 and a second series regulator 150. Outputs from theswitching regulator 120 and the first series regulator 130 are connecteddirectly to a power supply line of the internal circuit 101. Outputsfrom the second series regulator 150 are connected directly to a powersupply line of the RAM array 102. Provided between the outputs from theswitching regulator 120 and the first series regulator 130 and outputsfrom the second series regulator 150 is a switch 140.

Output power supply voltage from each of regulators 120, 130 and 150 iscontrolled to a substantially equal level to a reference voltage Vrefgenerated by the reference voltage generator circuit 111 in response toa control signal S101 from the internal circuit 101. The power supplycontrol unit 113 detects an operation mode of the semiconductorintegrated circuit 100 in response to a control signal S102 suppliedfrom the internal circuit 101 or a control signal S107 supplied throughthe input/output circuit 105 from the outside of the semiconductorintegrated circuit device 100 and switches between operation/stop of theswitching regulator 120, the first series regulator 130 and the secondseries regulator 150 and ON/OFF of the switch 140 based on the detectedresult. An output from each of regulators 120, 130 and 150 in the stopstate is controlled to be high impedance.

When the internal circuit 101 is in the active state, the power supplycontrol unit 113 controls to operate the switching regulator 120 throughthe control signal S113. At the same time, the power supply control unit113 turns the switch 140 ON through a control signal S115 and the outputpower supply voltage Vddi of the switching regulator 120 is fed to theRAM array 102 through the switch 140.

When the internal circuit 101 is in the stand-by state, the power supplycontrol unit 113 controls to terminates the switching regulator 120through the control signal S113 and, at the same time, to operate thefirst series regulator 130 through the control signal S114 in order toturn the switch 140 ON through the control signal S115. The internalcircuit 101 and the RAM array 102 are fed from the first seriesregulator 130. Therefore, in the same manner as the embodiment in FIG.5, the first series regulator 130 is used instead of the switchingregulator 120 in the stand-by state so that power consumption in thestand-by state can be saved effectively.

This embodiment includes a RAM data holding state as one of operationmodes as in the embodiment in FIG. 5. In the RAM data holding state, thepower supply control unit 113 terminates the switching regulator 120through the control signal S113 and terminate the first series regulator130 through the control signal S114. At the same time, the power supplycontrol unit 113 turns the switch 140 OFF through the control signalS115 in order to shut dun the power supply for the internal circuit 101.On the other hand, the power supply control portion 113 controls tooperate the second series regulator 150 through the control signal S116.

Therefore, the second series regulator 150 supplies electric powerrequired by the RAM array 102 for holding data. In the RAM data holdingstate, the power supply for the internal circuit 101 is shut down. Thus,leak current of the internal circuit 101 can be zero completely, whichallows saving more power consumption than the stand-by state. However,in the RAM data holding state, information written into a register, forexample, within the internal circuit 101 is lost. Thus, information inthe register may be transferred to the RAM before CPU shut-down/RAM dataholding, if necessary.

This embodiment includes a second series regulator 150 dedicated foruses only in the RAM data holding state. Thus, the second seriesregulator 150 can be ideally designed so as to supply a minimum currentrequired for RAM data holding. The power consumed by the second seriesregulator 150 itself is smaller than that consumed by the first seriesregulator 130 in the stand-by state, which allows more saving of powerconsumption in the RAM data holding state than that in the case of theembodiment in FIG. 5.

In the shut-down state, the switching regulator 120, the first seriesregulator 130 and the series regulator 150 are all terminated. Switchingcontrols for the switching regulator 120, the first series regulator130, the second series regulator 150 and the switch 140 in accordancewith the operation modes in this embodiment will be summarized in Table3 below:

TABLE 3 CPU Shut- Down/RAM CPU/RAM Data state Active Stand-By HoldingShut-Down Switching operate stop stop stop regulator 1st series stopoperate stop stop regulator 2nd series stop stop operate stop regulatorSwitch ON ON OFF ON

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. Also in thisembodiment, in the same manner as above, the power supply voltage Vccused for interface between chips is fed from the outside of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100. The power supply voltageVcc is fed to the input/output circuit 105 while stepped down to theinternal power supply voltage Vddi by the on-chip regulator circuit 110in order to be fed to the internal circuit 101 such as CPU. Theregulator circuit 110 feeds an internal power supply voltage Vddrequivalent to the internal power supply voltage Vddi from an analogcircuit 103 having phase locked loop (PLL) circuit for generatingclock-signals, which is in synchronous with clock signals supplied fromthe outside.

The regulator circuit 110 includes, in the same manner as above, aswitching regulator 120, a first series regulator 130 and a secondseries regulator 150. Outputs from the switching regulator 120 and thefirst series regulator 130 are connected directly to a power supply lineof the internal circuit 101. Outputs from the second series regulator150 are connected directly to a power supply line of the analog circuit103. Output power supply voltage from each of regulators 120, 130 and150 is controlled to a substantially equal level to a reference voltageVref generated by the reference voltage generator circuit 111 inresponse to a control signal S101 from the internal circuit 101.

The power supply control unit 113 detects an operation mode of thesemiconductor integrated circuit 100 in response to a control signalS102 supplied from the internal circuit 101 or a control signal S107supplied through the input/output circuit 105 from the outside of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100 and switches betweenoperation/stop of the switching regulator 120, the first seriesregulator 130 and the second series regulator 150 and ON/OFF of theswitch 140 based on the detected result. An output from each ofregulators 120, 130 and 150 in the stop state is controlled to be highimpedance.

When the internal circuit 101 is in the active state, the power supplycontrol unit 113 controls to operate the switching regulator 120 throughthe control signal S113. When the internal circuit 101 is in thestand-by state, the power supply control unit 113 controls to terminatesthe switching regulator 120 through the control signal S113 and, at thesame time, to operate the first series regulator 130 through the controlsignal S114. Here, the internal circuit 101 is fed from the first seriesregulator 130. Therefore, in the same manner as the embodiment in FIG.6, the first series regulator 130 is used instead of the switchingregulator 120 in the stand-by state so that power consumption in thestand-by state can be saved effectively.

In this embodiment, both in the active state and in the stand-by state,the power supply control portion 113 controls to operate the secondseries regulator 150 through a control signal S116. Generally, aswitching regulator causes a switching noise, which may have a badeffect on operations by the analog circuit 103. In this embodiment, theanalog circuit 103 is always fed by the second series regulator 150.Thus, the bad effect can be avoided due to the switching noise from theswitching regulator.

In the shut-down state, the switching regulator 120, the first seriesregulator 130 and the series regulator 150 are all terminated. Switchingcontrols for the switching regulator 120, the first series regulator 130and the second series regulator 150 in accordance with the operationmodes in this embodiment will be summarized in Table 4 below:

TABLE 4 CPU/RAM state Active Stand-By Shut-Down Switching operate stopstop regulator 1st series stop operate stop regulator 2nd series operateoperate stop regulator

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. Also in thisembodiment, in the same manner as above, the power supply voltage Vccused for interface between chips is fed from the outside of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100. The power supply voltageVcc is fed to the input/output circuit 105 while stepped down to theinternal power supply voltage Vddi by the on-chip regulator circuit 110in order to be fed to the internal circuit 101 such as CPU. Further,output power supply voltage Vddi from the switching regulator 120 or thefirst series regulator 130 is stepped down to the internal power supplyvoltage VddL further by a third series regulator 160.

Outputs from the third series regulator 160 are directly connected to apower supply line of a partial circuit 104. Output power supply voltageVddi from the switching regulators 120 and the first series regulator130 is controlled to a substantially equal level to a reference voltageVref generated by the reference voltage generator circuit 111 inresponse to a control signal S101 from the internal circuit 101.Further, output power supply voltage VddL from the third seriesregulator 160 is controlled to a substantially equal level to areference voltage VrefL, which is lower than the reference voltage Vrefgenerated by the reference voltage generator circuit 111 in response toa control signal S101 from the internal circuit 101.

The power supply control unit 113 detects an operation mode of thesemiconductor integrated circuit 100 in response to a control signalS102 supplied from the internal circuit 101 or a control signal S107supplied through the input/output circuit 105 from the outside of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device 100 and switches betweenoperation/stop of the switching regulator 120, the first seriesregulator 130 and the third series regulator 160 based on the detectedresult. In the same manner as above, an output from each of regulatorsin the stop state is controlled to be high impedance.

When the internal circuit 101 is in the active state, the power supplycontrol unit 113 controls to operate the switching regulator 120 throughthe control signal S113. When the internal circuit 101 is in thestand-by state, the power supply control unit 113 controls to terminatesthe switching regulator 120 through the control signal S113 and, at thesame time, to operate the first series regulator 130 through the controlsignal S114. Here, the internal circuit 101 is fed from the first seriesregulator 130. Therefore, in the same manner as the embodiment above,the first series regulator 130 is used instead of the switchingregulator 120 in the stand-by state so that power consumption in thestand-by state can be saved effectively.

In this embodiment, both in the active state and in the stand-by state,the power supply control portion 113 controls to operate the thirdseries regulator 160 through a control signal S116. Especially, thepartial circuit 104 has a loose timing constraint. Thus, when no problemis caused on operations even if the power supply voltage of the partialcircuit 104 is reduced to a lower voltage than the power supply voltageof the internal circuit 101, a regulator configuration as in thisembodiment achieves lower power supply voltage VddL of the partialcircuit 104 than the power supply voltage Vddi of the internal circuit101. As a result, the power consumption can be save d more effectively.

In the shut-down state, the switching regulator 120, the first seriesregulator 130 and the third regulator 160 are all terminated. Switchingcontrols for the switching regulator 120, the first series regulator 130and the third series regulator 160 in accordance with the operationmodes in this embodiment will be summarized in Table 5 below:

TABLE 5 CPU/RAM state Active Stand-By Shut-Down Switching operate stopstop regulator 1st series stop operate stop regulator 3rd series operateoperate stop regulator

FIGS. 9 and 10 show illustrative diagrams for describing another aspectof the present invention. When a switching regulator includes an outputcircuit formed in a semiconductor integrated circuit device and asmoothing circuit provided externally as in the embodiment in FIG. 1,current substantially equal to an output current I out flows throughcurrent paths Ivx, Ivcc and Ivss in FIG. 9. In order to form each ofthese current paths, three types of pins (Vx pin, Vcc pin, Vss pin) areneeded.

Generally, there is an upper limit on an amount of current, which can beflown in one pin (for example, about 0.1 A per one pin generally). Thus,when the output current Iout exceeds the upper limit, the number of thethree types of pins must be increased as in FIG. 10 in proportion to theoutput current Iout. However, the increase in the number of pins alsoincrease the chip size, which increases costs, therefore, there is apractical limit on an acceptable number of pins (therefore maximumoutput current limited by that). That is, as shown in FIG. 10, when themaximum output current 0.2 A (Ampere), the total number of the threekinds of pins are six at most. However, in order to obtain the maximumoutput current of 0.8A, 24 pins are required.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. Theelectronic device of this embodiment includes, a pulse output circuithaving power MOSFETs PM1 and PM2 having a semiconductor integratedcircuit device 100 and its external components and a smoothing circuithaving a diode D1, an inductance (coil) L1 and a condenser C1. A batteryfor generating a power supply voltage Vcc is omitted here.

Supplied from the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device100 is a power supply voltage Vcc to be used for interface betweenchips. The power supply voltage Vcc is fed to an input/output circuit105 while stepped down to a power supply voltage Vddi by an on-chipregulator circuit 110 in order to be fed to an internal circuit 101. Theregulator circuit 110 includes a switching regulator 120. The outputpower supply voltage Vddi of the regulator 110 is controlled to asubstantially equal level to a reference voltage Vref generated by areference voltage generator circuit 111 in response to a control signalS101 from the internal circuit 101.

The switching regulator 120 includes a on-chip low-pass filter unit(condense C1, inductance L1 and diode D1), an output circuit (PM1: Pchannel type, PM2: N channel type) using an off-chip power MOSFET and anon-chip driver control circuit 121 for controlling conduct/non-conductof the MOSFET of the output circuit.

Since the output circuit includes off-chip output MOSFETs PM1 and PM2 inthis embodiment, a switching regulator can be obtained which can obtaina maximum supply current without an increase in the number of pins usedfor the switching regulator 120. that is, the semiconductor integratedcircuit device 100 may needs two external terminals only for supplyingcontrol signals generated by the driver control circuit 121 to gates ofthe P-channel type MOSFET PM1 and the N channel type MOSFET PM2 of theoutput circuit. As a result, the number of the external terminals doesnot need to be increased even if the electronic device does not requirea large maximum current. It suppresses increases in chip size and costsdue to the increase in the number of pins, which allows reduction in thesize and costs of the electronic device.

In general, an electronic device directs to the direction that theelectronic device is built in a semiconductor integrated circuit deviceas much as possible in order to reduce a number of components. However,in the above-described switching regulator, the present inventor hereofhas realized that a big problem is caused that the number of pins areincreased because only two power MOSFETs are formed in the semiconductorintegrated circuit device.

On the other hand, a switching regulator is formed by defining a powerMOSFET and a driver control circuit for controlling it on one-chip.However, such semiconductor integrated circuit device is relativelyexpensive in price and not so easy to handle. That is, as in thisembodiment, mounting the driver control circuit 212 within thesemiconductor integrate circuit 100 and handling elements for formingthe output MOSFET or the smoothing circuit as an external componentsreduces costs substantially. In addition, a single MOSFET isadvantageous in universality since it may be substantially lower in costand correspond to a required maximum output current.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. In theelectronic device of this embodiment, the output transistor (PM2: Nchannel type) is omitted from the embodiment in FIG. 11. The powerconversion efficiency to the switching regulator 120 in this embodimentis lower than that in the embodiment in FIG. 11, but it is advantageousin cost since an off-chip parts count is one fewer. That is, the currentIvss as described with reference to FIG. 9 can be generated by the diodeD1. In this case, since a voltage loss is caused in the forwarddirection voltage VF by the diode D1, it is advantageous in theelectronic device, which requires lower costs with some deterioration inthe power conversion efficiency.

FIG. 13 shows an essential block part of still another embodiment of anelectronic device according to the present invention. In thisembodiment, an off-chip resistance R1 and an on-chip protective circuit125 are added to the configuration in the embodiment in FIG. 11. Thatis, when current equal to or larger than a certain value flows throughoutput MOSFET PM1, a potential detector circuit included in theprotective circuit 125 detects that a potential difference across theresistance R1 exceeds the certain value. The protective circuit 125controls the driver control circuit 121 through a control signal S125 inorder to cause the output MOSFET PM1 non-conductive temporally. Thus,this embodiment can prevent excessive current flows through the outputof the switching regulator 120, which can enhance reliability of theswitching regulator 120.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. In thisembodiment, as in the embodiment in FIG. 11, a maximum output currentcan be obtained without an increase in the number of pins used for astep-down power supply circuit. In addition, as in the embodiment inFIG. 1, even if the internal circuit is in a light loaded state such asthe stand-by state, too much deterioration in power conversionefficiency of the step-down power supply circuit can be avoided. Thatis, MOSFETs 123 and 124 for forming the output circuit of the switchingregulator 120 in the embodiment in FIG. 1 are formed by on-chip externalcomponents.

As a result, a maximum output current can be obtained without anincrease in the number of pins used for a step-down power supplycircuit. In addition, even if the internal circuit is in a light loadedstate such as the stand-by state, too much deterioration in powerconversion efficiency of the step-down power supply circuit can beavoided. Thus, reduction in size and power consumption of the electronicdevice can be achieved.

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of an essential part of another embodimentof an electronic device according to the present invention. In thisembodiment, as in the embodiment in FIG. 11, a maximum output currentcan be obtained without an increase in the number of pins used for astep-down power supply circuit. In addition, as in the embodiment inFIG. 4, even if the internal circuit is in a light loaded state such asthe stand-by state, too much deterioration in power conversionefficiency of the step-down power supply circuit can be avoided. Thatis, MOSFETs 123 and 124 for forming the output circuit of the switchingregulator 120 in the embodiment in FIG. 4 are formed by on-chip externalcomponents.

As a result, a maximum output current can be obtained without anincrease in the number of pins used for a step-down power supplycircuit. In addition, even if the internal circuit is in a light loadedstate such as the stand-by state only by the switching regulator 120,too much deterioration in power conversion efficiency of the step-downpower supply circuit can be avoided. Thus, reduction in size and powerconsumption of the electronic device can be achieved.

The configuration of the switching regulator for obtaining a largemaximum output current without increasing the number of pins used forthe step-down power supply circuit can be applied to the case in FIGS.5, 6, 7 and 8. That is, forming the output MOSFETs 123 and 124 of theswitching regulator 120 by Off-chip external components allows lowerpower consumption without deteriorating the power conversion efficiencyof the step-down power supply circuit when the internal circuit 101, forexample is the light load state such as the stand-by state.

FIG. 16 shows a whole block diagram of one embodiment of a mobilecommunication device to which the present invention is applied. Atypical example of the mobile communication device is a cellular phone.A signal received by an antenna is amplified in a receiving front-end,converted to an intermediate frequency by a mixer and transmitted to avoice processing circuit through an intermediate signal processingcircuit IF-IC. A gain control signal includes periodically in thereceived signal is, but not limited to, decoded in a microprocessor CPUso that an input control voltage is formed, which is supplied to a poweramplifier (power amplifier module) here.

In the power amplifier, gain control is performed in accordance with theinput control voltage to from a sending output signal. The sending poweris fed back to the microprocessor CPU partially through a power coupler,for example. A frequency synthesizer forms an occilating signalcorresponding to a received frequency through a reference oscillatorcircuit TCXO, a voltage control oscillator circuit VCO and a PLL loopand the oscillating circuit is transmitted to the mixer in the receivingfront end on one end. The oscillating signal is supplied to a modulatoron the other end. In the voice processing circuit, the received signaldrives a receiver in order to output a voice signal. A sending voice isconverted to electronic signals through a microphone and transmitted tothe modulator through the voice processing circuit and a modem.

In the mobile communication device, 1-chip semiconductor integratedcircuit device is formed in an available region with respect to CPU forsize reduction. For example, a memory may be the RAM array describedabove, and an analog circuit may be the frequency synthesizer. In suchan electronic device, the total power supply voltage Vcc may be about3.3 V. One to which a lower operational voltage can be applied such asthe semiconductor integrated circuit device including CPU can allowdecreases in power consumption and costs by using the step-downregulator as described above. When both memory and analog circuit areprovided, an output from the second series regulator in FIGS. 6 and 7are power-supplied to the analog circuit in the active state or in thestand-by state. When in the CPU shut-down/RAM data holding state, it iscontrolled to be power supplied to the memory so that propagation ofswitching noises to the analog circuit can be avoided and allows lowerpower consumption in the RAM data holding.

Operational effects which can be obtained from the embodiments above areas follows:

(1) For an internal circuit having a first operation mode consuming afirst operational current and a second operation mode consuming a secondoperational current, which is smaller than the first operationalcurrent, a first step-down type regulator for stepping down a predefinedoutput power supply voltage from an input power supply voltage andhaving a current supply ability corresponding to the first operationalcurrent of the internal circuit and a second step-down type regulatorhaving a current supply ability corresponding to the second operationalcurrent are combined in order to, under the control of a power supplycontrol unit, operate the first step-down type regulator in response toa first control signal instructing the first operation mode in theinternal circuit and to operate the second step-down type regulator inresponse to a second control signal instructing the second operationmode. In this case, the internal circuit and power supply control unitare provided in one semiconductor integrated circuit device so thatreduced power consumption and power supply switching in accordance withthe operation mode can be achieved.

(2) Further, the first power supply regulator may be a switchingregulator having a pulse output circuit formed in the semiconductorintegrated circuit device and a smoothing circuit having an inductanceand a condenser provided in the outside of the semiconductor integratedcircuit device and the second step-down type regulator is a first seriesregulator formed in the semiconductor integrated circuit device. Thus,further reduction of power consumption can be achieved.

(3) Further, the internal circuit may includes a signal processing unitand a memory unit whose power supply voltage line is isolated by aswitch and the second operation mode in the internal circuit includes anoperation for turning the switch ON in order to supply current from thefirst series regulator to the signal processing unit and the memory unitand an operation for turning the switch OFF in order to supply currentonly to the memory unit. Thus, necessary data can be maintained whilesource supply for the signal processing unit is shut down, which allowsfurther reduction of power consumption.

(4) The internal circuit may have a signal processing unit and a memoryunit whose power supply voltage line is isolated by a switch and asecond series regulator for generating the predefined output powersupply voltage from the input power supply voltage. In this case, thesecond operation mode of the internal circuit may include an operationfor turning the switch ON in order to supply current from the firstseries regulator to the signal processing unit and the memory unit andan operation that the first series regulator stops its operation and thesecond series regulator performs an operation in order to supply currentonly to the memory unit when the switch is turned OFF. Thus, feeding tothe memory unit for data holding by the second series regulator can beminimized.

(5) Further, there may be provided a second series regulator forgenerating a predefined output power supply voltage from the input powersupply voltage and an analog circuit to which an operational voltage issupplied by the series regulator. In this case, the operation of thesecond series regulator can be stopped at the same time when operationsby the switching regulator and series regulators are stopped. Thus,reduction of both power consumption and power supply noises in theanalog circuit can be achieved.

(6) Further, there may be provided a third series regulator forreceiving the input power supply voltage or the predefined outputvoltage in order to output a low voltage not more than the predefinedoutput voltage and a partial circuit to which an operational voltage issupplied by the third series regulator. In this case, the operation ofthe third series regulator can be stopped at the same time whenoperations by the switching regulator and series regulators are stopped.Thus further reduction of power consumption can be achieved.

(7) In addition, the first step-down type regulator may be a firstswitching regulator having a pulse output circuit for outputting a pulseformed in a large output transistor corresponding in size to the firstoperational current formed in the semiconductor integrated circuitdevice and a smoothing circuit having an inductance and a condenserprovided in the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device,and the second power supply regulator may be a second switchingregulator having a pulse output circuit for outputting a pulse formed ina small output transistor corresponding in size to the secondoperational current formed in the semiconductor integrated circuitdevice and the smoothing circuit. As a result, the circuit can besimplified and the power consumption can be reduced also.

(8) The internal circuit may comprise a data processing circuit having amicrocomputer function for performing signal processing through abuilt-in program; and the first operation mode and second operation modeare switched and the first and second control signals are generated inaccordance with the program. Thus, appropriate power supply switchingcan be performed with stability.

(9) The input power supply voltage may be generated by a battery, whichcan increases a battery life and eases handling of the electronicdevice.

(10) In an electronic device including a switching regulator forstepping down a predefined output power supply voltage from an inputpower supply voltage and a semiconductor integrated circuit deviceincluding an internal circuit operated by feeding from the switchingregulator, the switching regulator may include a driver control circuitformed in the semiconductor integrated circuit device, an output circuitprovided in the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit devicefor generating an output pulse signal through a drive signal generatedby the driver control circuit and an inductance and a capacitor forsmoothing the output pulse signal. Thus, a number of pins of thesemiconductor integrated circuit device can be decreased regardless of amaximum power supply current, which allows reduction of size and cost inaddition to an increase in universality of the regulator circuit.

(11) The output circuit may include a switch MOSFET in which the drivesignal is supplied to a gate and the input power supply voltage issupplied to a source and a diode for preventing reverse current, whichis provided between the switch MOSFET and a ground potential of thecircuit. Thus, a number of parts can be reduced.

(12) In addition, there may be provided a resistance for detectingcurrent of the output circuit and a protective circuit for limiting anoperation of the output circuit when a voltage generated in theresistance exceeds a predefined tolerance value. Thus, reliability canbe obtained.

(13) Further, in this case, the internal circuit may have a firstoperation mode consuming a first operational current and a secondoperation mode consuming a second operation current smaller than thefirst operation current and the switching regulator may be arranged tohave a current supply ability corresponding to the first operationalcurrent of the internal circuit. The electronic device may furtherinclude a step-down type regulator built-in the semiconductor integratedcircuit device and having a current supply ability corresponding to thesecond operational current and a power supply control unit operating theswitching regulator in response to a first control signal instructingthe first operation mode in the internal circuit and operating thestep-down type regulator in response to a second control signalinstructing the second operation mode. Thus, further reduction of thepower consumption can be achieved.

(14) In addition, the step-down type regulator is preferably a seriesregulator. Thus, reduced power consumption is achieved, which is adaptedto the second operational current.

(15) In addition, the step-down type regulator may be a switchingregulator using a pulse output circuit for outputting pulses generatedin a small output transistor corresponding in size to the secondoperational current generated in the semiconductor integrated circuitdevice and a switching regulator using the inductance and condenser.Thus, the circuit can be simplified and the reduced power consumptioncan be obtained which is adapted to the second operational current.

(16) Further, the internal circuit preferably includes a data processingcircuit having a microcomputer function for performing signal processingthrough a built-in program and the first operation mode and secondoperation mode are switched and the first and second control signals aregenerated in accordance with the program. Thus, appropriate power supplyswitching can be performed with stability.

(17) In addition, the input power supply voltage may be generated by abattery, which increases the battery life and eases handling of theelectronic device.

The present invention made by the present invention has describedconcretely based on its embodiment. However, various changes arepossible without departing from its principle. For example, the powersupply regulator may form an internal voltage stepped down from theinput source voltage as in the embodiment above. In addition, it mayform an internal voltage, which is substantially equal to a sourcevoltage supplied from an external terminal of the semiconductorintegrated circuit and stabilized in order to eliminate influenced ofchanges in the external source voltage. When a step-up voltage is formedas above, the power supply regulator as above may be used based on avoltage generated by a step-up circuit such as a charge-pump circuit sothat an internal voltage stabilized for voltage changes and load currentin accordance with a charge-pump operation can be generated.

In the embodiment in FIG. 1, a protective circuit as in FIG. 13 may beprovided. The semiconductor integrated circuit device may be formed bycombining a CPU, a RAM array, an analog circuit, a partial circuit andan input/output circuit and other circuits required for signalprocessing. The electronic device, the semiconductor integrated circuitand the data processing system only needs to be one including aninternal circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit operating withstepped-down voltage, in addition to the mobile communication device.The power supply of the electronic device may use a commercial powersource in addition to a battery. Alternatively, it may use both batteryand commercial power source. The present invention can be applied to anelectronic device including a semiconductor integrated circuit whoseinternal circuit operates with stepped-down voltage, semiconductorintegrated circuit and a data processing system.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: an internalcircuit including a first operation mode consuming a first operationalcurrent and a second operation mode consuming a second operationalcurrent, which is smaller than said first operational current; a firstregulator providing a predefined supply voltage from an input voltageand having a current supply ability corresponding to said firstoperational current of said internal circuit; a second regulator havinga current supply ability corresponding to said second operationalcurrent; and a power supply control unit operating said first regulatorin response to a first control signal instructing said first operationmode and/or operating said second regulator in response to a secondcontrol signal instructing said second operation mode of said internalcircuit, wherein said first regulator has a higher power conversionefficiency than said second regulator for supplying a large current tosaid internal circuit, said second regulator has a higher powerconversion efficiency than said first regulator for supplying a smallcurrent to said internal circuit, said internal circuit is capable ofoutputting information which includes said first control signal and saidsecond control signal, and said internal circuit and power supplycontrol unit are provided in one semiconductor integrated circuitdevice.
 2. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said firstregulator is capable of generating to all said internal circuit as saidfirst operation mode, and said second regulator is capable of generatingto only part of said internal circuit as said second operation mode. 3.An electronic device according to claim 2, wherein said second regulatoris a series regulator formed in said semiconductor integrated circuitdevice.
 4. An electronic device according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a signal processing unit and a memory unit both included insaid internal circuit, wherein a first voltage line connected to saidsignal processing unit and a second voltage line connected to saidmemory unit are connected to a switch, and said second operation mode insaid internal circuit includes an operation for turning said switch ONin order to supply current from said second regulator to said signalprocessing unit and said memory unit and an operation for turning saidswitch OFF in order to supply current to said memory unit but not saidsignal processing unit.
 5. An electronic device according to claim 1,further comprising: a signal processing unit and a memory unit bothincluded in said internal circuit; and a third regulator generating saidpredefined supply voltage from said input voltage, wherein a firstvoltage line connected to said signal processing unit and a secondvoltage line connected to said memory unit are connected to a switch,and said second operation mode of said internal circuit includes anoperation for turning said switch ON in order to supply current fromsaid second regulator to said signal processing unit and said memoryunit and an operation in which said second regulator is suspended fromoperation and said third regulator performs an operation in order tosupply current to said memory unit but not to said signal processingunit when said switch is turned OFF.
 6. An electronic device accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a third regulator generating apredefined supply voltage from said input voltage; and an analog circuitto which an operational voltage is supplied by said third regulator,wherein operation of said third regulator can be suspended at a sametime when operations of said first regulator and said second regulatorare suspended.
 7. An electronic device according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a third regulator receiving said input voltage or saidpredefined supply voltage and providing a voltage not more than saidpredefined supply voltage; and a partial circuit to which an operationalvoltage is supplied from said third regulator, wherein operation of saidthird regulator can be suspended at a same time when operations by saidfirst regulator and said second regulator are suspended.
 8. Anelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein said internal circuitcomprises a data processing circuit including a microcomputer functionfor performing signal processing through a built-in program, and saidfirst and second operation modes are switched and said first and secondcontrol signals are generated in accordance with said program.
 9. Anelectronic device according to claim 8, wherein said input power supplyvoltage is generated by a battery.
 10. An electronic device, comprising:an internal circuit which includes a first operation mode consuming afirst operational current and a second operation mode consuming a secondoperational current, which is smaller than said first operationalcurrent; a first regulator outputting a predefined supply voltage froman input voltage and having a current supply ability corresponding tosaid first operational current of said internal circuit; and a secondregulator having a current supply ability corresponding to said secondoperational current, wherein said internal circuit is capable ofoutputting information to instruct said operation modes of said internalcircuit.
 11. An electronic device according to claim 10, wherein a saidfirst regulator has a higher power conversion efficiency than saidsecond regulator for supplying a large current to said internal circuit,said second regulator has a higher power conversion efficiency than saidfirst regulator for supplying a small current to said internal circuit,and said first regulator and said second regulator are controlledaccording to said information instructing said operation modes.